Hunter Hayes Surprises Lucky Fans With Personalized Christmas Carols

Some very lucky Hunter Hayes fans got the best Christmas present ever this year when they opened Instagram to see a direct message from the singer himself. Hayes recorded a handful of videos singing Christmas carols for individual fans, complete with a personalized message at the end of each one.

The artist sang lines from “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” into the camera, wishing each recipient a merry Christmas by name. The lucky fans posted some of their reactions to their own Instagram accounts, calling it the “best Christmas ever” and noting “I didn’t think I could love this boy more than I already did!"

Hayes is known for putting his fans first and connecting with them in creative ways, whether it’s through his web series, scavenger hunts or visiting fans fighting cancer. He released his latest album The 21 Project in November, which features seven songs, each recorded three times — studio, acoustic and live — making for a 21-track album. He also took a limited 21-date tour this fall, hitting several universities for unique shows. Hayes has been experimenting with the traditional format for releasing music in today’s industry, and it seems to have paid off. He released the single “21” to streaming and country radio only, and it earned nearly 21 million streams on Spotify in its first 9 weeks.

“Change is not a bad thing — it’s a beautiful thing,” the singer explained in a Billboard article, which dubbed the move “country’s biggest digital experiment to date."